It appears that Amazon’s warehouses are the global book distribution chain’s equivalent of modern day sweatshops. Earlier this week Amazon fired its German security firm after a documentary film crew from ARD tied it to a far right wing group. The film crew revealed that seasonal workers hired by an Amazon subcontractor in Germany, many of whom were previously unemployed, were driven around Germany in buses, housed in poor conditions and kept under constant surveillance by the aforementioned security guards.

I’m guessing the mainstream media won’t see fit to make a big deal out of this like they did with Apple and Foxconn.

Ever since Amazon’s shares went up after reporting almost zero gains, I expect nothing to go wrong for this company.

Amazon’s working practices have always been known to be substandard outside of their headquarters. Sad to think that perhaps only when writing about Amazon generates clicks the media will suddenly “take notice” of this issue.

http://twitter.com/marcoschmidt Marco Schmidt

the mainstream media made a very big deal out of this in germany. ARD ist one of the biggest TV stations, and many newspapers and other medias picked up the story.

JohnDoey

Nazis are always a big story in Germany.

Godwin

Well that didn’t take long…

chjode

But, Jim, only Apple is responsible for poor working conditions. No one else ever.

In the US, Amazon fired women who became pregnant, and demoted men who took a day off to participate in their child’s birth. And all of this generates ALMOST NO PROFIT.

rj

And if what you allege did generate large profits, would that make it acceptable?

rj

“I’m guessing the mainstream media won’t see fit to make a big deal out of this like they did with Apple and Foxconn.”

I’m guessing they won’t either, given that there are no worker suicides or allegations of child labour.

http://twitter.com/mixdup Joseph Blake

Ugh, you sound like Fox News. “Mainstream media” Give me a break

Boo

Funny how so many seems to forget Foxconn assembles the Kindle for Amazon. Sony and Nintendo game consoles are also made at Foxconn along with countless other top name electronics companies.

Apple has gone out of its way to improve these conditions and has gotten shat on every step of the way despite transparency and actual results. Other companies do piss all but do people get rid off PS3 or Wii U or refrain from buying one?

All these people eager to sling shit do not seem to realize that if they don’t own something built by Foxconn, they have something (or several) put together in conditions that are similar or worse.

Jens krahe

I am German. As far as you are right (apple is here in focus too – retail conditions in Germany), it is simply not allowed to do such working conditions for employees in Germany. We have very strict labor law here, more different and more employee focused than in America and Canada. The ARD is one of the most independent media companies in Germany (paid by the people). It’s not held by private investors, and they don’t have to earn money. Which means, PIs and other stuff has no relevance for them.